slidable jaw end wrench with spiral actuator



. March 24, 1964 F. SCHLOTE 3,125,911

Y. SLIDABLE JAW END WRENCH WITH SPIRAL ACTUATOR Filed Oct. 17, 1962 .SCHLOTE ATT'GRNEY United States Patent 3,125,911 SLIDABLE JAW END WRENCH WITH SPIRAL ACTUATOR Guido Schlote, 5908 Hudson St., Dallas, Tex. Filed Oct. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 231,127 6 Claims. (Cl. 81-165) This invention relates to an improved construction of slidable jaw end wrench with spiral actuator and more partlcularly to an improved means for connecting the spiral actuator to a drive means by which said spiral actuator is connected to the slidable jaw, to materially facilitate the assembly of the wrench parts. primary object of the present invention is to provide an 1mproved part of a slidable jaw end wrench to which an end of a spiral actuator may be readily connected for forming a driving connection between said spiral and other drive means by which the spiral is operatively connected to the sliding jaw. Still another object of the invention is to provide an end wrench wherein the spiral or spiral shaft may be applied through a slot of the handle and readily engaged with an actuating slide and thereafter with a part of the drive means connecting the spiral to the slidable jaw.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the wrench;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view thereof, partly in elevation;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view through a part of the wrench handle, taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation, illustrating in detail parts of the improved structure of the wrench;

FIGURES 5 and 6 are fragmentary cross sectional views through portions of the wrench handle, taken substantially along planes as indicated by the lines 55 and 6-6, respectively, of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the spiral shaft.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the improved wrench in its entirety is designated generally 10 and includes an elongated handle 11 and a head 12 which is formed integral with one end of said handle. The handle 11 has a bore 13 extending from end-to-end therethrough. Onecnd of the bore 13 opens into an intermediate portion of a bore 14 which is formed in the head 12 and which is disposed at an oblique angle to the bore 13. The bore 14 has a tapered socket 15 defining a closed end thereof, and an internally threaded opposite open end 16.

The head 12 has an integral stationary jaw 17 which extends from an end of an outer edge thereof and is disposed remote from the bore 16. A passage 18 extends through the head 12, between the bore 14 and jaw 17, and is disposed parallel to said bore. The passage 18 has a restricted open side 19 opening into the bore 14 and a restricted open outer side 20, which opens outwardly of the head 12 below the jaw 17.

A worm 21 is rotatively disposed in the bore 14 and includes a restricted stem 22 having an end 23 which is journaled in the socket 15. The other end of the stem 22 is journaled in the recessed inner end of a thrust bearing 24 which threadedly engages in the bore portion 16. A locking ring 25 threadedly engages the bore portion 16, beyond the bearing 24, to retain said bearing in a desired adjusted position for free rotation of the stem 22 and worm 21 in the bore 14. A pinion 26 is fixed to the stem 22 between the worm 21 and bearing 24.

ice

A slidable jaw 27 has a shank 28 which slidably engages in the passage 18 and which has a restricted toothed inner edge 29 which meshes with the thread of the worm 21. The portion 29 is disposed at the inner end of the shank 28 and said shank has a restricted lateral extension 30 at its outer end which fits slidably in the restricted portion 20 of the passage 18. Said portion 30 connects the shank 28 to the slidable jaw 27, as seen in FIGURE 2, for locating the jaw 27 in opposed relation to the stationary jaw 17. The parts of the head 12 previously described are of conventional construction.

The handle bore 13 is restricted slightly adjacent the bore 14 to provide an annular shoulder 31 which faces away from the head 12. A bushing 32 is disposed in the bore 13 and has a forward end abutting against the shoulder 31.

A peg, designated generally 33, includes a shaft 34 having end portions which are journaled in the ends of the bushing 32, and a reduced or recessed intermediate portion 35 which extends throughout a substantial portion of the length of the bushing 32 and which defines an annular chamber 36, between said shaft portion 35 and the inner surface of the bushing 32, which is adapted to be filled with a lubricant.

A restricted knurled stem 37 projects axially from a forward end of the shaft portion 34 and fits non-turnably in a crown gear 38 which is thus supported by the peg 33, in the forward end of the bore 13, beyond the forward end of the bushing 31 and properly disposed for meshing engagement with the pinion 26.

The peg 33 includes an enlarged rear portion or head 39, the forward end of which abuts against the rear end of the bushing 32, and which head has a rearwardly opening conical recess 40. The recess 40, as seen in FIGURE 6, is provided with opposed grooves 41, for a purpose which will hereinafter be described.

One side 42 of the handle 11 has an elongated slot 43 which opens outwardly thereof and into the bore 13, and which has an enlarged end portion 44, located remote from the head 12.

An actuating slide, designated generally 45 and best seen in FIGURE 3, includes an elongated button 46 which is disposed externally of the handle 11 against the side 42. The slide 45 includes a body portion 47 which is sized to fit in the bore 13 for free sliding movement relative thereto and which has an inner portion 48 of reduced thickness provided with a central noncircular opening 49. A stem 50 extends between a fiat inner side of the button 46 and the member 47 for connecting said member 47 to the button. The stem 50 is sized to slidably engage in the slot 43. As seen in FIGURE 2, the thickness of the body portion 47 is less than the width of the slot 43 so that said body portion can be inserted through said slot into the bore 13, after which the slide 45 can be moved to locate the stem or neck 50 in the enlarged bore portion 44. The slide is then rotated to its position of FIGURES 2 and 3 to position the body portion 47 crosswise of the bore 13 and the button 46 lengthwise of the handle 11.

A torque imparting shaft or spiral 51 is formed from a flat rod which is twisted to provide a thread 52 which extends to adjacent the ends thereof. 'The spiral 51 has a fiat forward end 53, disposed beyond one end of the thread 52, and which has a tapered or pointed terminal 54. The other end of the spiral 51 terminates in a tapered blunt point 55 in which an end of the thread 52 terminates. The diameter of the spiral 51 is substantially less than the width of the slot 43. Accordingly, before application of the slide 45 to the handle 11 the drive assembly including the peg 33, bushing 32 and crown gear 33, with said parts previously assembled, can

be inserted as a unit through the outer end of the bore 13, after which the slide 45 can be applied to the handle 11, as previously described, and located with the neck 50 in the slot enlargement 44. The rear end 55 of the spiral 51 is then inserted through the slot 43 rearwardly and toward the body portion 47 and, by being rotated, can be threaded through the opening 49 which is of a shape corresponding to the cross sectional shape of the thread or twisted portion 52. After the spiral 51 has been threaded sufiiciently through the body portion 47, the forward end 53 can be inserted into the bore 13 through the forward end of the slot 43. The slide 45 is then moved forwardly to advance the pointed forward end 54' toward the peg 33 and so that the point 54 will be guided into the head 39 by engagement with the conical recess 40 thereof. When resistance to further advancementof the spiral 51 with the slide 45 is encountered by the point 54 approaching the restricted inner end of the recess 40, the slide will advance relative to the spiral to effect rotation of said spiral. The spiral 51 after rotating through an arc of less than 180 will assume a position in which its flat forward end 53 will be disposed coplanar with the grooves 41, at which time the spiral will move forwardly with the slide 45 to seat the side edges of its flattened portion 53 in said grooves 41, as seen in FIGURE 4, and with the point 54 disposed in the inner part of the recess 40. In this manner the spiral 51 will be keyed or nonrotatively connected to the peg 33, so that as the spiral is thereafter revolved by further forward movement of the slide 45 the peg 33 and crown gear 38 will rotate with said spiral. This will initially cause the crown gear to mesh with the pinion 26, if meshing engagement of these parts has not already been accomplished, so that thereafter the pinion 26 and worm 21 will turn with the spiral 51, peg 33 and crown gear 38 in a direction for sliding the jaw 27 toward the jaw 17.

A plug forming a bearing 56 is then inserted through the rear end of the bore 13 and advanced until the pointed rear end 55 is seated in a frusto-conical recess 57 in the forward end of said thrust bearing 56 and which provides a journal for the rear end of the spiral 51. A setscrew 58 is threaded into a transverse bore 59 of the handle 11 and against the bearing 56 to secure said bearing immovably in the bore 13.

The rear end of the handle 11 may be provided with an opening 60, intersecting the bore 13 rearwardly of the bearing 56, to facilitate hanging up the tool when it is not in use.

The thrust bearing 56 will prevent axial movement of the spiral 51 rearwardly of the handle 11 when the slide 45 is moved rearwardly for reversing rotation of the spiral 51 and the parts driven thereby for causing the jaw 27 to slide away from the jaw 17 and toward an open position of the wrench 10.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the func tion or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an end wrench having an elongated handle, a recessed head formed on one end of the handle and provided with a fixed jaw, a slidable jaw having a shank slidably engaging in and guided by the recess of the head for movement toward and away from the fixed jaw, said handle having a bore extending longitudinally therethrough and opening into the recess of the head, a slide having a first part disposed for sliding movement in said bore, said handle having a longitudinally extending slot opening outwardly thereof and into the bore in which a second part of the slide is slidably received, a spiral disposed longitudinally in the bore and threadedly engaging through said first part of the slide, means forming a driving connection between the slidable jaw and spiral whereby rotation of the spiral will effect movement of the slidable jaw toward and away from the fixed jaw, said means including a drive unit disposed for rotation in the forward end of said bore and including an elongated member having a restricted forward end, a gear fixed to and supported by said restricted forward end, said elongated member having a head defining the rear end thereof and provided with a rearwardly opening frusto-conical socket to receive a forward end of the spiral, said socket having opposed grooves, said forward end of the spiral being flat to engage in said grooves for keying the spiral to said elongated member, and a thrust bearing adjustably mounted in the rear end of said bore and having a forwardly opening socket in which the rear end of the spiral is supported and journaled.

2. A Wrench as in claim 1, said elongated member having an intermediate shaft portion, and a bushing disposed in a forward part of said bore in which the shaft portion is journaled, said bushing being disposed between the head and gear for supporting said elongated member and gear within said bore and spaced from the wall thereof.

3. A wrench as defined by, claim 2, said shaft portion having a recessed intermediate part combining with said bushing to define an annular lubricant chamber.

4. A wrench as defined by claim 1, said slot being of a width greater than the diameter of the spiral for assemblying the spiral in the handle through said slot.

5. In a slidable jaw-type end wrench including an elongated hollow handle, an elongated spiral having a fiat forward end, a manually actuated member slidably connected to the handle having a part disposed internally of the handle through which said spiral threadedly engages, and antelongated drive member journaled in a forward part of the handle and forming a part of a driving connection between the spiral and a sliding jaw of the wrench, said member having a rearwardly opening substantially frusto-conical socket provided with opposed grooves in which side edges of said flattened forward end of the spiral engage for keying the spiral to said drive member, .said frusto-conical socket forming a guide for directing the spiral into keyed engagement with the drive member when the spiral is advanced longitudinally of the handle toward said drive member.

6. A wrench as defined by claim 5, a bushing detachably mounted in said handle in which a part of said drive member is supported and journaled, and a thrust hearing detachably and adjustably supported in a part of the handle and having an inwardly opening socket for journaling and supporting the other rear end of said spiral.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 402,132 Berry Apr. 30, 1889 461,617 Peck Oct. 20, 1891 1,837,341 Shaffer Dec. 22, 1931 2,753,748 Schlote July 10, 1956 2,795,987 Schlote June 18, 1957 2,993,398 Schlote July 25, 1961 3,000,246 Aegerter Sept. 19, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 503,754 Canada June 22, 1954 

1. IN AN END WRENCH HAVING AN ELONGATED HANDLE, A RECESSED HEAD FORMED ON ONE END OF THE HANDLE AND PROVIDED WITH A FIXED JAW, A SLIDABLE JAW HAVING A SHANK SLIDABLY ENGAGING IN AND GUIDED BY THE RECESS OF THE HEAD FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE FIXED JAW, SAID HANDLE HAVING A BORE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THERETHROUGH AND OPENING INTO THE RECESS OF THE HEAD, A SLIDE HAVING A FIRST PART DISPOSED FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT IN SAID BORE, SAID HANDLE HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SLOT OPENING OUTWARDLY THEREOF AND INTO THE BORE IN WHICH A SECOND PART OF THE SLIDE IS SLIDABLY RECEIVED, A SPIRAL DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY IN THE BORE AND THREADEDLY ENGAGING THROUGH SAID FIRST PART OF THE SLIDE, MEANS FORMING A DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SLIDABLE JAW AND SPIRAL WHEREBY ROTATION OF THE SPIRAL WILL EFFECT MOVEMENT OF THE SLIDABLE JAW TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE FIXED JAW, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A DRIVE UNIT DISPOSED FOR ROTATION IN THE FORWARD END OF SAID BORE AND INCLUDING AN ELONGATED 